Tony Bunday, the “first ever” Labour councillor for Bitterne Park in 2022 who was later stripped of his party membership apparently for liking a social media post, says he’s joined the Lib Dems.
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bitternepark.info revealed in November 2023 that then councillor Tony Bunday, who lives in the ward, had been stripped of his party membership, and would continue his term of office, until May 2024, as an independent.
He said at the time he’d been booted out for liking social media posts by a Portsmouth independent candidate who had himself had his Labour membership terminated, apparently for sharing a social media post. Bunday suggested he wasn’t aware the candidate was standing as an independent.
In a social media post this afternoon (Feb 9) Bunday said:
“I would just like to let people know that I have joined the Liberal Democrats. It has been a few months since I felt that I could continue to support or defend the Labour Party at a national or a local level and this goes way beyond their appalling treatment of me as an individual. I realised some time ago, that although the Labour Party includes many genuine, hard working, and thoroughly nice people, this is far from universal.”
He added that he’d read the Liberal Democrat’s 2024 election manifesto “and realised that I agreed with every part [of] it.”
“The next step was therefore easy, and during the last week I have become a signed up member. I am unsure how deeply I will get involved at this stage, But you never know!
“Watch this space,” he concluded.
Speaking to bitternepark.info on Sunday, Bunday confirmed he had "no idea" whether he'd be standing as a councillor at the next local elections.
"I've really quite enjoyed not being involved since last May, on the other hand I've missed it as well. A lot depends on what the Liberals want me to do, really."
He said the move hadn't come about as the result of a negotiation, but that he'd just made a decision to make the move and had done it.
Asked whether he'd consider standing in Bitterne Park again, he said: "I've no idea at this stage", and that he "wouldn't rule it out or in".